You should, no matter where you’re from, plan a trip to Ireland during your lifetime. Perhaps we’re a little biased but it really is one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially when the sun shines!
Ireland, known affectionately as the Emerald Isle, offers travellers to its shores a variety of experiences – cultural, historical and geographical.
For a successful and truly enjoyable trip to Ireland, this article will tell you all you need to know from how to get there, what to do once you arrive and how to make the most of your trip.
However, if you are unsure about where to visit when you get here, private tours of Ireland may be the perfect option for you and your family. Private guided tours are a great way to get a flavour of local life and they always come highly recommended by travellers. The cities are nice but the countryside is what will steal your heart in the end. You need to get out into the open at every available opportunity.
Let’s get started with the first thing that should be on your agenda…
Booking flights
When flying into Ireland, you can choose to arrive into any one of its five international airports – Dublin airport, Cork airport, Shannon airport, Knock airport and Belfast airport.
All airports are well spread out and span all corners of the country so choose the airport that you fly into based on where you intend on spending most of your time.
You can book flights to Ireland through any of the major ticket airlines and, by keeping an eye on ticket prices in advance, you can make sure you get the best deal possible.
Where to stay
When in Ireland, you’ll be spoiled for places to stay so making your final choice might be difficult!
In the west of Ireland, Galway is the main go-to destination followed by Cork in the south, Dublin in the East, Donegal in the North and Kilkenny in the Midlands.
The beauty of it is that you won’t need to book accommodation in advance. Tourism is a big industry in cities and larger towns so you’ll have no trouble finding a hotel or bed and breakfast to take you in at short notice.
For something a little different, why not consider glamping? This modern alternative to the tent and campfire has become very popular with holiday-makers and there are several glamping sites available around Ireland. It can be a lot of fun so don’t rule it out!
Transport
Ireland is a small island and its excellent transport infrastructure makes it very easy to travel from hub to hub. You can hop on a train or bus and be where you want to go within a matter of hours.
Another great way to transport yourself around Ireland is by hiring a car. In this way, you can drive the back country roads and explore whichever part of this beautiful little country that you want without being subject to timetables and tickets.
What to do
In Ireland, there are plenty of things to see and do. Ireland is rich in history and there are many museums, art galleries and historical sites to visit including Ladies View in Killarney, Clonmacnoise, The Books of Kells at Trinity College and the National Museum of Ireland to name a few.
Trust us; you can have a packed itinerary and still feel like you’ve missed out on so much.
Holidaying in Ireland will leave you with a lifetime of memories so make sure that you get as much as possible out of your trip to the Emerald Isle by planning your time wisely.